Top Flight
Encyclopedia
Top Flight was an American
U.S. Hall of Fame
Thoroughbred
filly
racehorse
. Bred in Kentucky
by the very prominent horseman Harry Payne Whitney
, she was a daughter of the French stakes winner Dis Donc, a son of the French Champion Sire
Sardanapale. She was out of the mare
Flyatit, a daughter of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Peter Pan
.
Raced under the colors of Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney
, who had inherited Top Flight on his father's death in 1930, at age two the filly went undefeated in her seven starts and earned a record $219,000. Even a muddy track couldn't stop her from winning June's Clover Stakes, but her most impressive performances were wins over the top colts
in the United States in the prestigious Futurity Stakes at New York's Belmont Park
and the Pimlico Futurity
at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland
. Top Flight's performances earned her 1931 American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly honors.
Racing at age three, Top Flight won five of her nine starts, with three of her losses coming against males. After finishing fourth in the Potomac Handicap
, she was retired as the all-time money earning filly or mare in American racing history. Her 1932 performances earned her the American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly title.
As a broodmare, Top Flight produced stakes winner Flight Command and three stakes-producing daughters.
In 1966, Top Flight was inducted into the United States' Racing Hall of Fame
. In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century, she was ranked No. 66.
was voted first.
) in Lexington, Kentucky
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
U.S. Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
. Bred in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
by the very prominent horseman Harry Payne Whitney
Harry Payne Whitney
Harry Payne Whitney was an American businessman, thoroughbred horsebreeder, and member of the prominent Whitney family.- Early years :...
, she was a daughter of the French stakes winner Dis Donc, a son of the French Champion Sire
Leading sire in France
The list below shows the leading Thoroughbred sire of racehorses in France for each year since 1887. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won by the sire's progeny during the season .-----References:* -See also:*...
Sardanapale. She was out of the mare
Mare (horse)
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine.In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a...
Flyatit, a daughter of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Peter Pan
Peter Pan I
Peter Pan was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, bred and raced by prominent horseman, James R. Keene. As winner of the Belmont Stakes, the Brooklyn Derby and the Brighton Handicap, he was later inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame...
.
Raced under the colors of Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney
Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney
Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney was an American businessman, film producer, writer, and government official, as well as the owner of a leading stable of thoroughbred racehorses....
, who had inherited Top Flight on his father's death in 1930, at age two the filly went undefeated in her seven starts and earned a record $219,000. Even a muddy track couldn't stop her from winning June's Clover Stakes, but her most impressive performances were wins over the top colts
Colt (horse)
A colt is a young male horse, under the age of four. The term "colt" is often confused with foal, which refers to a horse of either sex under one year of age....
in the United States in the prestigious Futurity Stakes at New York's Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
and the Pimlico Futurity
Laurel Futurity
The Laurel Futurity is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late November at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland. Run over a distance of 1 1/16 miles on turf, at one time it was a Grade I stakes race on dirt, and one of the richest and most important races for two-year-old...
at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland
Laurel, Maryland
Laurel is a city in northern Prince George's County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County, Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Incorporated in 1870, the city maintains a historic district including its Main Street...
. Top Flight's performances earned her 1931 American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly honors.
Racing at age three, Top Flight won five of her nine starts, with three of her losses coming against males. After finishing fourth in the Potomac Handicap
Potomac Handicap
The Potomac Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in the latter part of September at Havre de Grace Racetrack in Havre de Grace, Maryland. Open to three-year-old horses, it was raced on dirt at a distance of a mile-and-a-sixteenth....
, she was retired as the all-time money earning filly or mare in American racing history. Her 1932 performances earned her the American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly title.
As a broodmare, Top Flight produced stakes winner Flight Command and three stakes-producing daughters.
In 1966, Top Flight was inducted into the United States' Racing Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
. In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century, she was ranked No. 66.
Of interest
In a poll among members of the American Trainers Association, conducted in 1955 by Delaware Park Racetrack, Top Flight was voted the fourth greatest filly in American racing history. GalloretteGallorette
Gallorette was a Maryland-bred chestnut thoroughbred filly who became a Hall of Fame race horse. Sired by Challenger II, out of Gallette, Gallorette's damsire was Sir Gallahad III. Even so, her dam, Gallette, had once exchanged hands for $250 and was used as a hack. -Breeding:Trainer Preston M...
was voted first.
Breeding days
As a broodmare, Top Flight had limited success, producing one stakes winner from her seven foals. She died in 1949 and was buried at C. V. Whitney's farm (now part of Gainesway FarmGainesway Farm
Gainesway Farm is an American Thoroughbred horse breeding business in Lexington, Kentucky. It was originally called Greentree Farms.The 1,500 acre property has been home to sires such as Youth and Exceller and numerous others who are buried on the property...
) in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
.